The data governance strategy of an enterprise defines the approach of the organization towards the availability, transformation, and safety of the generated information. Programmes implemented by data governance services agencies in two separate organizations may have the same structure and processes but even then, seem to be different as the objective behind the data governance approach of the two enterprises may not be the same. In fact, a data governance programme can have more than one focus areas and let’s take a look at six such areas.
1. Policy And Standards
The flow of information across various departments of an organization which require support from leadership groups with multiple responsibilities necessitates the framing of rules which govern the transfer of data. Formal policies need to be formulated after comparing existing standards and removing all inconsistencies from them besides the establishment of guidelines that dictate the applicability of the policies and standards in specified situations. A program with its focus on policy and standards will also fix the accountability for their enforcement and monitoring.
2. Data Quality
The quality of the information is of utmost importance as failure to maintain it will lead to faulty decisions which will defeat the whole purpose behind implementing a data management programme. The aim of a programme with the focus area being data quality is to spot and correct issues regarding the standard of the information being collected either throughout the entire organization or in a particular department. Most of the time such initiatives are designed in such a manner that they may be started in a specific section but can be easily scaled up if and when the need arises.
3. Security And Compliance
Security is another important aspect that commercial organizations simply cannot ignore as not only their financial prosperity depends on it but leakage of any vital information related to clients, investors, employees etc. may lead to harsh penal actions which can even put the existence of the enterprise in jeopardy. Most of the major economies of the world have put in place compliance regulations for data security which must be followed by all companies. A data governance programme with security and compliance as the focus area will help in addressing the issue.
4. Data Architecture Or Integration
Management of data is a continuous process and an enterprise may upgrade its system or start a new development initiative which would require a programme that ensures consistent data definitions and standardizes all platforms. This focus area tries to improve the operational efficiency by deciding the access controls, security measures, privacy procedures etc. for all critical information which holds immense value for the complete data governance strategy.
5. Data Warehouses And Business Intelligence
This focus area emphasizes on the establishment of rules and regulations besides the finalizing of roles necessitated by the creation of data warehouses or implementation of business intelligence tools. Rules for usage of information are framed beside conducting the identification of all stakeholders and fixing their accountability for various responsibilities.
6. Management Alignment
A collaborative effort may be needed for taking a decision but the management personnel may be hampered by problems like ignorance about other stakeholders and this focus area aims to resolve such issues by aligning different frameworks and initiatives. These programmes bring the various councils on one platform so that they can evaluate all the interdependencies and take relevant decisions.
Conclusion
The data governance strategy for an enterprise needs to identify the focus areas that will help them meet the objectives of starting the initiative and also assist in identifying the relevant stakeholders and their roles.
